08.30.2007 CC Minutes - Work Session3268
MINUTES
KENNEDALE CITY COUNCIL
WORK SESSION -AUGUST 30, 2007
405 MUNICIPAL DR. - KENNEDALE MUNICIPAL BLDG.
COUNCIL CHAMBERS
Mayor Lankhorst called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m.
Members present: Mayor Lankhorst, Mayor Pro-Tem, John Clark, Councilmember's Brian
Johnson, Jerry Miller and Ronnie Nowell.
Members absent: Councilmember David Green.
Staff present: Bob Hart, City Manager; Kathy Turner, City Secretary; Scott Raven, Fire Chief,
and Clifford Blackwell, III, Director of Finance.
I. WORK SESSION
(a) Joint meeting between City Council and the Advisory Boards regarding the report on
Organizational Culture for the organization and governance survey -led by Greg
Innes, Innes Strategy.
Greg Innes representing Innes Strategy addressed Council about developing the
Kennedale Governance Action Plan to enhance Kennedale and provide a more
effective form of governance. Innes said three themes were framed from the
governance survey results, which would address governance alignment, enhancing
strategic capability, and community participation and communication. Innes then
recommended City Council and Advisory Board members split evenly into three
groups to address the three themes. At 5:40 p.m. each group conversed on the
themes to create a listing of short and long term projects for the Governance Action
Plan -Governance Guidance Team. At approximately 6:20 p.m., the three groups
reconvened and appointed a liaison from each group to report their findings.
Planning and Zoning Commissioner, Charles Overstreet spoke first on behalf of
Group 3 -Community participation and communication. Overstreet implied the
group looked at ways to build a better two-way communication between boards,
council, city and citizens. Items included:
• Inform citizens of the guidelines, costs, rules and procedures of each
board/commission before they make appearance at such meeting;
• Allow communication between applicant and board/commission members at
meetings to relay stance and limitations;
• Identify roles of the various board/commissions in monthly newsletter;
• Establish public access channel for meetings (streaming video council board
meetings);
• Establish work groups (i.e. industrial council, religious group, KYA,
racetrack groups, businesses and youth councils); and
• Establish email sign-up on city website.
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Overstreet then addressed special events to bring citizens together:
• Tree lighting
• Car show
• Kid Fish
• Concert in the Park
• Create brand name (i.e. October Fest, May Fest.)
• Festival
Overstreet also implied group discussion included the possibility of establishing an
outside contact person for city employees to vent frustrations and/or other issues to
eliminate retailiation within the work facility. In closing, he said it was very
important to follow up on all actions to see that they are carried forward.
Next, Mayor Pro-Tem, John Clark spoke on behalf of Group 1 -Governance
alignment. Prior to addressing projects, Clark advised that this exercise was an
example of concern to him as he did not think the Home Rule Charter intended for
the City Council to be the dominant authoritarian over the various
board/commissions. So during group discussion members looked at ways to
encourage communication through the proper channels of each board/commission
and spoke of the folloiwng:
• Develop scheme that would enable each chairman of the various
board/commissions to meet monthly or bi-monthly with a representative
from Council, and/or Mayor, City Manager, and/or city staff to discuss
overall issues that are affecting each board/commission individually or the
City as a whole as this would bring unity between the boards without
destroying the autonomy of each;
• Schedule community meeting in the spring to feed key decisions/planning of
city events or projects with boards/commissions and citizens for the
upcoming budget year;
• Establish timing to set city goals and communicate to the boards and evaulate
throughout year;
• Secondary evaluation of function/scopes of boards, look at prescriptive rules
and operations to see if best way to operate, if not, look at Charter for
amendments.
• Establish training and share best practices by October 1 of each year for all
board/commission members.
Last, Mayor, Bryan Lankhorst addressed Group 2 -enhancing strategic capabilities.
Mayor Lankhorst spoke of long term projects first that were addressed by his group:
• Improve sales tax revenue (Sales tax revenue should be 1 '/2 times property
tax revenues)
• Small businesses to replace salvage yards;
• Maintain small town feel -local restaurant for people to sit down and talk;
• Build depth along Kennedale Parkway;
• Mixed uses, multi-industry (not all eggs in one basket);
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Attractive businesses along Kennedale Parkway;
City held hostage by some industries -having trouble moving forward
because of the existence of some businesses
Mayor Lankhorst then addressed short term projects:
• Improve communication among advisory boards (like tonight) so
independent thinking, action is impossible.
• Apathy -direct result of the lack of vision and planning from the City
• Personal re-commitment by board appointments
• Provide t-shirt for team members to provide a sense of unity
Mayor Lankhorst thanked everyone for attending, and asked members present to
relay exercises and comments presented to other members because changes could not
take place without having everyone participate.
In closing of the exercises, Mr. Innes noted that there was a common theme reflected
from the three groups, which related to continuity and follow-up.
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Mayor Lankhorst advised for follow up, a Governance Guiding Team would be
created, and Councilmember Brian Johnson would lead the team. Team members
would include Councilmember David Green, KEDC Vice-Chair Robert Mundy, Park
Board Member David Smith, Planning and Zoning Commissioner Charles Overstreet,
and Board of Adjustment Member, Linda Elam.
No further disucssion, Mayor Lankhorst closed the work session at 6:46 p.m.
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Kathy Turner, City Secretary